It is an unavoidable fact that stress, insomnia and the like symptoms are caused at our daily life as one of the "modern diseases" in our time. In consequence, releasing the tension and sound sleep have become of strong interest in these years, and much attention is being denoted to the effect of fragrance compounds to excite or sedate human consciousness as one of their functions.
Fragrance-inherent functions have been used in various forms in daily life since ancient times from generation to generation with great interest.
For example, flowers or essential oils of lavender and chamomile have been used as drinks and baths having a sedative effect, or as herbs with the aim of inducing sound sleep by arranging them in bedrooms. Recently, attempts have been made to confirm and elucidate such traditionally handed down functions through modern science, and several results have been obtained and put into practical use. For example, fragrance compositions containing sandalwood oil, lavender oil, chamomile oil and the like as sedative components and jasmine oil, ylang--ylang oil, basil oil and the like as stimulative components have already been proposed for instance in JP-A-63-199292 and JP-A-63-199293 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application").
These known components are natural essential oils used as general fragrance compounds which also contain compounds having no sedative effects. Also, since each of these components is used in the form of natural essential oil, its application is limited to the inherent fragrance compound of each natural essential oil, and, even if it has a sedative effect, it can cope with the taste and diversity preferences of the modern people only within a limited range because the moderns sometimes dislike other components contained in the oil. In addition, more objective evaluation of the fragrance functions by scientific means is required in these days rather than the conventional subjective evaluation, but it is difficult to develop a fragrance composition from which constant levels of physiological and psychological effects can be expected.
In consequence, it is necessary to confirm effects of formulation materials which can be used in various fragrance types, in order to develop a stable and preferable fragrance composition having a wide range of fragrance types.